Online Branding: 5 Tips to Make a Strong Brand Online
The Internet is increasingly becoming the leading medium for corporate and brand communication. A variety of communication tools gives brands new ways of contacting customers. Brand managers face the challenge of managing these instruments holistically in the sense of modern marketing communication. They have to master the new ways of accessing their brand, enable the newly gained interactivity with the brand through the medium, and serve the reactions and discussions of consumers to brand management in social media.
If you take the most important rules of online branding to heart, the path to a successful brand is definitely open on the web.
1. The brand must please the customer, not the other way around
In order to convince the target group, the brand must be geared to their needs. It is worthwhile first of all to define the target group precisely, and secondly to know it as precisely as possible. If you don’t know what your potential customers like and don’t like, through which channels and in which way they communicate, which language and terms they use and which challenges they have to overcome, you are not able to develop an offer that will convince this target group. A tailor-made offer can only be put together if you know your target group very well and are in permanent contact with them.
2. Not losing sight of the core themes and values of the brand
What should immediately come to the mind of a customer when mentioning a brand? The answer reflects the core, the essential theme of the brand. In principle, everything revolves around this point. The brand must be consistently focused on this point, this topic. This is the only way it can remain credible and authentic in the long term.
3. Communicate clearly and unambiguously
For brand communication the motto is: Keep it simple. The brand message must be formulated simply, clearly and comprehensibly for all in the target group. And it must be consistent across all channels and individual measures used for brand communication.
4. Pictures and videos say more than a thousand words
Key visuals are important elements of a unique brand style. However, since the importance of videos on the web is constantly increasing, it is advisable to create, establish and continuously use a moving image style. Because videos can convey the emotion and atmosphere of a brand like nothing else. Successful online videos spread the brand message according to the principle of word of mouth, since users distribute them voluntarily in their online communities. Viral brand communication will gain in importance in the future. In any case, paying close attention to it pays off in the visibility and popularity of the brand.
5. Keeping the brand in the conversation
Straw fire activities are not enough to build a brand and keep it up to date. Regularity and consistency, meticulousness and perseverance are needed to increase and maintain the visibility of the brand. Even with good friends you stay in touch and exchange information regularly. The same applies to good brands. They continuously send out signals, initiate discussions and approach their target groups openly. They make sure that positive contacts are made with customers and prospects and encourage them to interact, i.e. to like, share, comment, evaluate and of course to buy, through their offers and information.
